30 Day Challenge – Day 11

Well when I started this I thought I’d be able to spend 10 minutes a day hammering out a post-of-the-day, but it turns out I’m either too easily distracted.. or too long-winded, when I do buckle down and focus, so these take me a really long time to get through! Now I’m basically only completing the ones that interest me.

Today’s topic is “put your iPod on shuffle and write the first ten songs that come up.”

Appropriate, since I feel like I’m pretty much on shuffle these days.

1. Tegan and Sara – Now I’m All Messed Up
2. The Cure – A Forest (Tree Mix)
3. Faith No More – Anne’s Song
4. Alanis Morisette -Excuses
5. Beastie Boys – 3-Minute Rule
6. Taking Back Sunday – Miami {throwback to emo phase!}
7. Bright Eyes- Pull My Hair
8. Beck – Rental Car
9. The Used – Sound Effects and Overdramatics {I can’t believe this song is 11 years old. It still feels new to me}
10. The Fray – I Can Barely Say {I didn’t even know this was on my iPod}

That actually made a decent little playlist. I would however like to divulge that number 11 was Big Pun so.. I should have stopped while I was ahead.

Advertisement

30 Day Challenge – Day 7

I’m a day late posting already, but I’m still going to try to finish the challenge. Today’s post is “my zodiac sign and if I think it fits me.”

My birthday is June 21 and according to most astrology charts I’m a Gemini (though sometimes my birthday falls in Cancer). I think the zodiac signs are interesting, but I’m not sure how much I really subscribe to it. Sometimes it can be eerily accurate, but other times I feel the descriptions are broad another they can apply to people universally depending on the day. {Ironically it’s a sign of my sign that I can’t make up my mind on this!}. But it’s a fun topic.

The image seems to succinctly sum up the wordy Gemini descriptions I found elsewhere. And I have to say that the characteristics all fit me pretty spot-on. The positive characteristics make me pretty agreeable to be around. I like to get people together, riff and banter (though I do flail a bit socially when the other parties are very serious OR I am unsure of their senses of humor). I’m a responsible person, but I don’t want to be too grown-up yet. I’m liberal and accepting unless you’re a jerk.

The negative characteristics are some of the things I dislike about myself – particularly that I can be impatient/restless and impractical. I hadn’t ever chalked it up to my star sign so much as often I consider that I have A.D.D. It’s not really negatively effected my work or relationships with people, however. I try to be mindful about reflecting inward.

I’m absolutely fickle about my interests. I hate this. I try to see things through, but I’m a chronic project-starter; I cannot commit to anything unless it can be broken into small projects that hold my interest long enough to finish and move to the next. I adapt so many things this way (school, work, and personal projects) to keep my sanity. I work in bullet points. I try everything. I master few things. Pinterest and Instagram are horrible for me because anything catching my interest could potentially set me up for an obsession of indeterminate length. Luckily, I’m deeply motivated by being seen as reliable when it matters. If someone’s counting on me for something I will not let them down. But if it only matters to me? Forget about it. I live in profound awe of my husband who barely ever procrastinates and can stay on-task for such a long time.

Do you feel like your zodiac sign fits you? How much stock do you put into it?

30 Day Challenge – Day 6

I skipped the Day 5 topic because I wasn’t into it, so I’m back with Day 6; the prompt is “list 30 interesting facts about yourself.” I’ll go for 30, though I don’t know how interesting they will necessarily be. But hey – here’s an awesome picture of me when I was probably 7.

1. I love to make lists- ha!
2. I love animals, but I’m afraid of large birds. It’s their feet.
3. I wish I could paint and draw.
4. Dave is my favorite Franco brother, but they are both good.
5. I believe in marriage equality.
6. Remembering to set up the coffee pot at night feels like the biggest morning victory ever.
7. I’m actually not very organized.
8. I think greed will eventually ruin this planet. I get anxiety over it all the time.
9. Happy, fun mail is my favorite.
10. My birthday is the best date – June 21. Summer solstice, and the longest day of the year.
11. My favorite city is San Francisco.
12. I feel like the luckiest woman ever to be a mom to Hannah.
13. I love garden smells: flowers, dirt, mulch, wet plants…
14. I can’t remember a time my wrists didn’t hurt at least a little.
15. My biggest fear is public speakings, and I’m quite terrible at it.
16. My biggest paranoia is there’s something in my teeth.
17. My biggest vice is soda/coffee.
18. I love yard sales, thrift stores and salvage yards, but I HATE dollar stores.
19. I’m smack dab in the middle of the introvert/extrovert spectrum. I am always trying to balance it.
20. I’m weirdly fascinated with Beyonce.
21. I get really attached to plants. One day I hope to be that eccentric old lady with prized Begonias.
22. I’m drawn to people who can tell a good story. I don’t care if it’s the truth or not. I like to listen to the art.
23. I love dancing in crowds.
24. But I otherwise despise crowds.
25. If you are: weird, humble, and/or funny, odds are I will like you.
26. I think animals know and understand more than we give them credit for.
27. My favorite albums are Siamese Dream (Smashing Pumpkins), Tidal (Fiona Apple), Garbage (Garbage), and The Bends (Radiohead).
28. If you put popcorn or chips & salsa near me, I’ll binge eat it.
29. At a party I’m the one commandeering the playlist.
30. I think the secrets to life are feeling grateful and picking your battles.

30 Day Challenge – Day 4

Today’s topic is “my views on religion.”

Oy. Here we go.

I don’t speak for all non-believers, but as an atheist my views on religion (and the world) are:

• Science and reason is the only legitimate basis for understanding the world.
• Saying you have to have faith is not a good enough reason for me to believe in it. Reading something from a book does not prove that the book is true, only that it exists.
• As with law, the burden of proof is on the one who makes the claim. I do not have to prove the lack of existence of something.
• As humans, we have a responsibility to help other humans and not cause harm to other humans. We are all connected.
• As Earth citizens, we have a responsibility to the planet and the creatures on it. The planet was not created for us to abuse.
• Laws should never be based on the moral beliefs of a single religion. No one wants that unless the religion is their own. Your religion is not everyone’s.
• If a church works to actively influence law (but it shouldn’t) the church should pay taxes. Without question.
• Everyone should feel safe expressing what they believe, or don’t believe.
• There is freedom in seeking proof, questioning what doesn’t make sense, and learning about the universe.
• If you believe the only reason for doing good is fear of punishment, I worry about you.
• If your beliefs make you a better, stronger, nicer (etc) person, then good for you! The world needs more good people no matter what it takes to get them there. But it’s not the only way to be good nor does it make someone better than others.

Thanks for reading.

I am always up for respectful debate on the topic, but if this post offended or bothered you I would ask you simply find another blog to read rather than send hateful comments. Thank you!

30 Day Challenge – Day 3

The topic for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge is “my views on drugs and alcohol.” (Some of these topics are a little random, but I’m enjoying the writing prompts that get me out of my comfort zone). So. As for drugs. I don’t do drugs, and even prescription drugs make me nervous (since an unpleasant experience with half a Vicodin in 2006, I didn’t even take the postpartum painkillers). But my stance on marijuana is a liberal one (legalize it), as is my stance on drug usage in general (addiction counseling/ rehab before criminalization). Addiction is a disease and in my opinion, prison is not the place for a first time drug offender. Help them get help. When that person is a family member or friend this will be so obvious.

As for alcohol. This image made me laugh.

A good friend once gave me some great parenting advice. “A sane mommy is better than a perfect mommy.” This was in reference to the occasional glass of wine in the evenings (but applies in many other ways).

I love wine and it is absolutely one of my sanity-savers. It’s partly the substance and partly the ritual or symbol of a glass (or 4) of wine after a long day that makes the stress melt away. Whatever. I’m not ashamed of that. I’m a grown-ass woman. If you a grown up, and you aren’t going to get behind the wheel of a car after partaking, I have zero to say about someone choosing to drink.

I live in Utah and we have the world’s weirdest, most asinine alcohol laws. I think they’ve actually gotten better in recent years, but the UT legislature, with pressure from the LDS Church, continues to try to make it as inconvenient as possible for people to enjoy a legal substance. For instance; grocery stores can only sell beer (not even wine!), and the alcohol percentage is lower than the rest of the country (3.2 vs 5%+). Flavored malt beverages were recently removed from grocery stores after a new law was passed – the reasoning was that it was “tempting to kids” on grocery store shelves. Stronger beer and malt beverages can be sold in liquor stores only. The most ridiculous to me – if you are dining at a restaurant you cannot order a drink without ordering food, and they will not bring you your drink until your food is also coming out. It all seems like a push to make drinking seem inconvenient or shameful when you have every intention of being reasonable about it. No one goes to an Applebees to tear it up like a belligerent frat boy. It would be far too expensive and thus inefficient. 😉 It’s out of touch, and I dislike the moral policing on a legal activity. I love my state for many reasons, but it’s got its embarrassing and eyeroll-inducing quirks. I find that a glass of wine or two helps me feel better about them.

30 Day Challenge – Day 2

Day 2’s topic for the 30 Day Blogging Challenge is “Where you’d like to be in 10 years.”

This isn’t my favorite blogging prompt because this question is the WORST. My goals change constantly, and there are so many facets to this question. But I’ll make an attempt to paint a picture of my perfect life ten years from now, knowing that a year from now my goals will not likely be the same.

In ten years I will be 41. Hannah will be 11; it’s hard to picture myself with a child that age but by the time she’s 11 I’ll be a pro at shuttling to activities, chore charts and homework helping. She will also have a sibling. I don’t want to say anything that can come back to haunt me like I hope it’s a (insert brother or sister here). Either way, I’ll be busy being the best mom I can be and life will be filled with the day-to-day that entails.

I have dreams of opening my own business and maybe I really will do that in the next ten years. I’ve actually got several ideas, but I know that if I do take the plunge it will be because I decided I had to see what it would be like to make my little creative mark on the world. I’m not really ready to divulge any details because everything is so abstract right now, but this is what I fantasize about: a small business that somehow mixes all the ethical business practices I feel strongly about: empowering women, creative reuse, and community-focus. I realize the explanation is so very vague (thus why I hate this question – I can’t articulate where I’d like to be, but I have a general idea of the accomplished feeling I want to experience. It doesn’t make for good blogging, though.) Or maybe I will be working for someone else, and that will be ok, too. No matter what I hope that what I’m doing is fulfilling and I’m doing something I feel matters, and that teaches my kid(s) by example – individuals can make a difference; you should do what inspires you and makes you happy; there are lots of kinds of success; you don’t have to sacrifice your dreams or your values (but you do have to adapt).

I hope in ten years I can look back on this post and be proud that I carved out a path in the right direction even if there were detours, some back-tracking, and some scenic stops along the way.

30 Day Challenge – Day 1

For April I’m doing a 30 Days of Blogging challenge. There are lots of them out there, but I liked this one in particular because it wasn’t created by a 14 year old on Tumblr (there’s nothing wrong with 14 year olds on Tumblr except that the topics remind me that I’m old.)

It’s Day 1, and the topic is a fun one: “Discuss your current relationship.”

It’s hard to believe, but Jonathan and I will be married for 10 years this year (August 27). I’m 31, and he’s been a part of my life for half that; we starting dating when I was just 15. He was a year ahead of me and we went to the same high school, but I actually met him through a friend’s older brother, who was friends with Jonathan’s older brother. We bonded over rock music. We sat in his 1988 Mustang listening to TOOL albums. He wasn’t like a lot of guys I’d known – he was super shy, worked really hard (good at school and had a job), and looking back he’s still the same, solid guy. He’s never tried to be anyone he’s not. If I ever raise a boy, that’s exactly how I hope he would be. He doesn’t think anyone’s business is his, though he will always help anyone who asks. He’s sharp, good with money, extremely handy, and is really good at big-picture stuff. I’ve never questioned that he thinks of me as an equal. He’s a good balance to my flightiness, and he never makes even a sarcastic comment about my obsession-of-the-day tendencies.

We spent the first 8.5 years of our marriage as just the two of us. We both worked, I got my MBA, we did some traveling, raised our two fur-kids, and we fixed up two houses. So we had a lot of time to get to know our adult selves individually and as a married couple. Once Hannah was in the mix, so many things changed about our lives, but it did give our marriage a fresh start, too. It’d been us for so long that getting a new challenge and bonding experience made our marriage feel almost new again. I love seeing Jonathan as a dad. He’s very affectionate and involved in the decision-making. And as the types of decisions parents have to make will change as kids get older, I look forward to this adventure with him as we figure it out together. I couldn’t ask for a better life mate.

The picture above is a favorite of us in Hawaii in 2011 (and over J’s 29th birthday).